Published: Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 09:46 AM.

Longtime Carteret County resident Susan Simpson said Hofmann Forest is widely known for its habitat for wildlife in the region and she said she’s heard of it often during discussions and programs about black bears and other wildlife.

“The forest has been recognized that way for a long time and I think any development of the forest would be outstandingly horrible,” she said.

Simpson said the planned sale of Hofmann Forest and potential impacts to its habitat as well as water quality within the river basins are a concern to her as a resident of Eastern North Carolina.

Hofmann Forest is 79,000 acres of pine forest and picosin wetlands and serves as the largest university-owned research forest in the world.

Simpson was one of about 30 area residents who attended a Thursday night program of the new Croatan Group, which is nearing official affiliation with the North Carolina Sierra Club, which featured a presentation on the Hofmann Forest issue.

The forest could soon be in private hands if the sale proceeds. The university announced in October that the Board of Trustees for The Endowment Fund of N.C. State University has agreed to the terms of the sale of Hofmann Forest to an Illinois-based agribusiness for $150 million.

Jones County resident John Eddy, a civil and water resources engineer with degrees from N.C. State University, has found himself at odds with his alma mater as a plaintiff in a legal complaint against the sale of Hofmann Forest that is currently under appeal.

Plaintiffs in the case want an environmental assessment done and say the property, the largest state-owned property in North Carolina, is subject to one under state law.

Eddy said the agreement relies on “buyer assurances” that Hofmann will remain forest land. Without deed restrictions, there are no guarantees the property won’t be developed. A document said to be a prospectus for potential investors indicates a number of potential land uses, including agricultural and some acreage for commercial and residential development.

Any land use changes, including clearing for agricultures, will have potential impacts outside the forest as well, Eddy said.

“What’s going to happen is well beyond Hoffman Forest,” he said.

The forest drains into basins for the New River, White Oak and Trent rivers; and increased stormwater run-off would harm water quality, affecting riverine, estuarine and marine habitats.

Hofmann Forest is also a “link in a chain” as part of a larger ecosystem, Eddy said. A corridor that includes Hofmann, Croatan National Forest, Camp Lejeune and Holly Shelter and Angola Bay game lands provides a valuable resource of habitat for black bear and other wildlife found in Eastern North Carolina.

Eddy said that in addition to surface water impacts from stormwater run-off, there could be regional impacts to groundwater, which can affect drinking water.

Eddy ended his presentation with a list of contact information for university and other officials the public can write or call to express concerns about the sale of the property.

On the list was N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, whose office is charged with representing the university in the legal matter.

Opponents of the sale started a letter-writing campaign asking Cooper to reverse his position on the sale of the forest. They say the attorney general also has a duty to enforce the state’s laws and Constitution, which back an environmental assessment being done before such a sale can go through.

Longtime Carteret County resident Susan Simpson said Hofmann Forest is widely known for its habitat for wildlife in the region and she said she’s heard of it often during discussions and programs about black bears and other wildlife.

“The forest has been recognized that way for a long time and I think any development of the forest would be outstandingly horrible,” she said.

Simpson said the planned sale of Hofmann Forest and potential impacts to its habitat as well as water quality within the river basins are a concern to her as a resident of Eastern North Carolina.

Hofmann Forest is 79,000 acres of pine forest and picosin wetlands and serves as the largest university-owned research forest in the world.

Simpson was one of about 30 area residents who attended a Thursday night program of the new Croatan Group, which is nearing official affiliation with the North Carolina Sierra Club, which featured a presentation on the Hofmann Forest issue.

The forest could soon be in private hands if the sale proceeds. The university announced in October that the Board of Trustees for The Endowment Fund of N.C. State University has agreed to the terms of the sale of Hofmann Forest to an Illinois-based agribusiness for $150 million.

Jones County resident John Eddy, a civil and water resources engineer with degrees from N.C. State University, has found himself at odds with his alma mater as a plaintiff in a legal complaint against the sale of Hofmann Forest that is currently under appeal.

Plaintiffs in the case want an environmental assessment done and say the property, the largest state-owned property in North Carolina, is subject to one under state law.

Eddy said the agreement relies on “buyer assurances” that Hofmann will remain forest land. Without deed restrictions, there are no guarantees the property won’t be developed. A document said to be a prospectus for potential investors indicates a number of potential land uses, including agricultural and some acreage for commercial and residential development.

Any land use changes, including clearing for agricultures, will have potential impacts outside the forest as well, Eddy said.

“What’s going to happen is well beyond Hoffman Forest,” he said.

The forest drains into basins for the New River, White Oak and Trent rivers; and increased stormwater run-off would harm water quality, affecting riverine, estuarine and marine habitats.

Hofmann Forest is also a “link in a chain” as part of a larger ecosystem, Eddy said. A corridor that includes Hofmann, Croatan National Forest, Camp Lejeune and Holly Shelter and Angola Bay game lands provides a valuable resource of habitat for black bear and other wildlife found in Eastern North Carolina.

Eddy said that in addition to surface water impacts from stormwater run-off, there could be regional impacts to groundwater, which can affect drinking water.

Eddy ended his presentation with a list of contact information for university and other officials the public can write or call to express concerns about the sale of the property.

On the list was N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, whose office is charged with representing the university in the legal matter.

Opponents of the sale started a letter-writing campaign asking Cooper to reverse his position on the sale of the forest. They say the attorney general also has a duty to enforce the state’s laws and Constitution, which back an environmental assessment being done before such a sale can go through.